Spelling Book, from Creative Curriculum Software, is one of those little programs which shows a list of words on screen. Then one of those words can be inserted into a piece of text you are working on by simply clicking on the word with the mouse. It does the job nicely, very nicely indeed, its main advantage being its ability to handle a number of separate dictionaries. The interface is simple yet effective, and it is very easy to set up or amend the dictionaries to match individual pupils or different classroom topics. Along with its main function, the program also comes with three word games based around some or all of the words currently in use.
The program installs onto the iconbar. From <menu> on this icon, the one or more dictionaries which the pupils are to use are chosen, and, if necessary, the selection is saved. The word processor or DTP program is run, and a single click brings up a small Spelling Book window containing the letters of the alphabet. These letters call up words from the dictionaries. With the focus inside the document, you can easily click first to select a letter, then a word which appears in your work.
There are options available to use capital letters at the start of words, to follow words with a space and to use a range of punctuation marks with the mouse as well as the keyboard. The Spelling Book window can be closed and reopened easily, as required.
I see the program being used in a number of different ways in school, and each of these different uses would require a different range of dictionaries. It is very easy to set up these dictionaries using Edit or another simple text editor Ö you donæt even need to enter them in order!
With key stage 1 pupils, it will, at first, be used with basic words, (some suitable dictionaries are provided), and it could then be used in the same way as concept keyboards, enabling complete simple sentences to be built up. Its use could then be extended to include words as they are met in the reading scheme.
With pupils from all key stages, Spelling Book will also provide valuable support for topic work. Words from appropriate dictionaries could prompt pupils as they write on different subjects, give them leads when engaging in their own research, or give gentle hints in finding answers to questions.
There is an important role for Spelling Book with Special Needs pupils or simply those pupils who have a particular problem with spelling. Having words so readily to hand gives confidence to those unsure of their ability in writing and, in searching for the correct word, a lot of experience is gained in reading, at a level appropriate for each pupil. Spelling Book has the facility for personal dictionaries, another feature which is of great benefit to some pupils. These dictionaries are loaded onto the iconbar icon, and can be added to while the work is in progress. If a new word is needed, the pupil finds it in the usual way (word box, dictionary or teacher) and then adds it into their dictionary Ö your own vocabulary book is now electronic!
Iæve tested the program out with a number of different word processors available to me, Impression (Style and Publisher), Pendown, Stylus and Edit, and it works well with all of them. (When used with programs with speech it can be especially useful.) It can also be used with multimedia programs like Genesis, and Iæve even used it with some spreadsheet programs Ö though Iæm not sure why you might want to!
The three games which come with the program will all give extra practice in using the words in the dictionaries. There is a wordsearch and two variations on the Éhangmanæ activity without the actual violence of that old favourite. There are a number of options which can be set within each game to make it suitable to any pupil or age range.
Spelling Book is intended for use in keystages 1 and 2, but the interface is by no means inappropriate for older students. I would heartily recommend its use in primary schools, especially for work with Special Needs pupils. The only improvement I could think of would be to have the ability to show all the words in a dictionary at once, so that pupils using it at the very first stages would not have to use alphabetical searching.
Spelling Book is available for ú39 +VAT (stand alone) or ú89 +VAT for a site licence from Creative Curriculum Software.áuá
